J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson is a character in the Spider-Man franchise. Sometimes he appears as sort of a villain and anti-hero, being obsessed with proving to the world that Spider-Man is a threat that must be handed over to the authorities at any cost as well as revealing his true identity to the public. However, as the years progressed, he was depicted in the comics as one who actually admires Spider-Man and even aids him. He dislikes Spider-Man, though he had an affection of Peter Parker over the years. J. Jonah Jameson was created by the late Stan Lee (who voiced him in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in one of Lee's last roles before Lee's death) and the late Steve Ditko. History Past Jameson was born in Los Angeles, California to John Jonah Jameson Sr. and Betty Jameson. However, his father left for unknown reasons when Jameson was still a child, leaving Jameson to be raised by his mother and eventual stepfather, retired United States Army veteran David Jameson. However, he was abused by his stepfather, leading him to believe that "heroes" were not always good people. He grew up a Boy Scout and took up hobbies in boxing and photography, and later courted his crush Joan in high school. When he was attacked by three bullies, he used his boxing skills to easily beat them, impressing Joan and kicking off their dating. The two married right out of high school. Jameson began his journalism career by starting as a paperboy, and later as a reporter for New York City's newspaper The Daily Bugle, later serving as a war correspondent. Through personal assets and inheritance from his recently (presumed) deceased parents, Jameson eventually acquired enough funds to open his own company, Jameson Publications, which then bought the struggling Daily Bugle with the intention of revitalizing it from a cheap tabloid to a popular newspaper. Jameson bought a building to turn into The Daily Bugle's office. He and Joan later would have their son John Jonah Jameson III, but shortly after Joan passed away from unknown circumstances. Despite his intense hatred for superhumans, Jameson held a respect for normal human minority groups and was a strong opponent of organized crime, even leading to assassination attempts by the Kingpin. Conflict with Spider-Man As the number of superhuman individuals began to grow, Jameson became more infuriated by their theatrics and disregard for the law. He began targeting them and even falsifying information regarding their actions in his newspaper to defame and villainize them in the public eye. Though he spoke out against superheroes like the Fantastic Four, Hulk, She-Hulk, and X-Men, he primarily targeted local and less professional superhero Spider-Man, who was, at that time, little more than an entertainer. However, as he began to rise as a superhero vigilante, Jameson soon began defaming Spider-Man, causing so much public hatred for Spider-Man that he was effectively blacklisted from appearing in entertainment. Soon after, Spider-Man saved Jameson's son, who had become an astronaut, from a disastrous space capsule accident. Despite this, Jameson accused Spider-Man of sabotaging the capsule as a publicity stunt, and incriminated him with the destruction of government property and the endangering of his son's life. Spider-Man became an outcast and an outlaw. Shortly after, Jameson hired a freelance photographer name Peter Parker, who took pictures of Spider-Man's battle against the Vulture. Jameson continued to villainize Spider-Man and discredit his public image through lies and libel, though Spider-Man continued his vigilantism. Eventually, Jameson was overcome with rage and decided to take matters into his own hands. He commissioned Dr. Farley Stillwell to biologically mutate and enhance criminal MacDonald Gargan into the vicious supervillain Scorpion to kill Spider-Man, though this failed when Gargan turned against him. He would later get Spencer Smythe to create the Spider-Slayers, controlled by him, to battle Spider-Man, though this too failed. He would later hire Daniel Berkhart, the second Mysterio, to defeat Spider-Man, but again failed. Jameson fled to France, and returned to try and continue the Spider-Slayer program with Dr. Marla Madison. Though this failed as well, Jameson and Madison fell in love with each other during their time together, and were eventually married. Business and Family Later, the Hobgoblin attempted to blackmail Jameson for his involvement in the creation of the Scorpion. Though this failed, Jameson publicly announced his guilt and stepped down as The Daily Bugle's editor-in-chief, though he remained a publisher. Though he made other attempts to bring down Spider-Man by hiring the Wild Pack, he mainly laid low. He was later kidnapped and impersonated by the Chameleon, who once again used his newspaper to spread anti-Spider-Man propaganda. He was saved by Spider-Man, and The Daily Bugle was temporarily run by Thomas Fireheart, a.k.a. Puma, who was an ally of Spider-Man. Shortly after Jameson regained control of the company, he was blackmailed into selling it to Norman Osborn under the threat of homicide attempts on his wife. He was soon after attacked by supervillain Mad Jack, causing him to go through a downfall until Osborn was driven mad by a ritual he had performed and the company was sold back to Jameson. Soon after, Jameson and his wife adopted their niece Mattie Franklin, who was also the Spider-Woman. Jameson learned of her identity after a failed heroic outing where she had to be saved by Jessica Jones. Jameson, in return, hired Jones as an investigator and promoted her agency. Jameson was later attacked by Mysterio, who made it appear that Spider-Man killed him in a deliberate car crash. Jameson was kidnapped by Mysterio, who used illusions to make Jameson believe he was dead and in Hell, tormented by a Spider-Man demon. Jameson was eventually saved by Spider-Man, but lasted deeper hatred for the wall crawler because of the traumatic event. Civil WarEdit Jameson eventually reached his breaking point during the Civil War, where his son married She-Hulk and he had to contend with a superhuman he hated being his daughter-in-law. Additionally, as a part of the Superhuman Registration Act, Peter Parker announced himself to the world as Spider-Man, angering Jonah and making him feel betrayed. He attempted to sue Peter for fraud, but Parker was protected by the Act. Finally snapping from rage, Jameson brought back a Spider-Slayer robot and attacked She-Hulk, who defeated him. Jameson committed several acts of libel against Peter and even demanded his arrest. When The Daily Bugle's then editor-in-chief and longtime friend of Jonah Robbie Robertson objected, Jameson fired him. Spider-Man asked Jameson to rehire Robertson, and Jameson only agreed if he could continue his lawsuit. Spider-Man agreed, then told Jameson to beat him. Jameson was reluctant at first, but proceeded to punch Spider-Man numerous times. Spider-Man then gave Jameson a roll of film containing pictures he had taken of the "fight", telling him to use them as he pleased. However, in a rush of remorse, Jameson destroyed the film, rehired Robbie, and dropped the lawsuit. Heart Attacks Later, when Peter Parker sold his marriage to Mary Jane Watson-Parker to Mephisto in order to wipe everyone's memories of his secret identity, Jameson lost all memory of who Spider-Man was. However, the Bugle was under threat of being purchased by Dexter Bennett, causing Jameson to become angry. During an argument with Peter over money, Jameson suddenly collapsed from a heart attack. He was saved, but suffered a second heart attack when he heard his wife had sold the Bugle to Dexter Bennett while he was ill. He recovered, but had lost his nerve and even some of his famous temper. His wife, Marla, tried to regain the Bugle but it was attacked by Alistair Smythe, and she was killed in the process. Mayor of New York With no company or family to return to, Jameson used his falsified heroic public image to run for mayor and won. Even though Spider-Man and even Jameson's biological father urged him to end his vendetta and bury the hatchet, Jameson instead used his power to assemble an Anti-Spider Squad to hunt down Spider-Man. Spider-Man did his best to remain a hero while being hunted, infuriating Jonah. Even though the Anti-Spider Squad cost the local government a lot and was borderline illegal, Jameson continued it. The organization gained some favor during the infamous "Spider Island" incident. However, after a series of events where Peter Parker and Doctor Octopusswitched bodies, Octavias became the "Superior Spider-Man" and saved Horizon Labs. Jameson, ironically, softened his heart to the new, darker "Spider-Man" (he was unaware it was not the same Spider-Man), and tried to help him. The Superior Spider-Man tried to force Jameson to give him control of the Raft prison, causing Jameson to hate him again. He commissioned new Spider-Slayers, even though the city was being terrorized by the Green Goblin and his organization, the Goblin Nation. This created a scandal that worsened when the Nation took control of the robots, causing Jameson to resign in disgrace. Spider-Man eventually returned and defeated Octopus. Fact Channel With no company left to go to and a poor public image, Jameson was hied as a reporter for the Fact Channel. He reported on a story that was interrupted by Black Cat and Electro, and ordered the cameraman to film the ensuing battle when Spider-Man and Silk arrived. Electro managed to electrocute and stun Spider-Man, and Black Cat attempted to remove his mask. Jameson demanded the cameraman zoom in to catch it, but Spider-Man stopped Black Cat before she could do it. Jameson later used his reporting job to support the company New U Technologies, who claimed they could revive the dead with a new chemical formula, and did so with Jameson's deceased wife Marla. However, New U turned out to be a fraud, cloning patients instead of reviving/curing them. To make matters worse, all carried a disease called the Carrion Virus, which was exploited by Doctor Octopus, causing a worldwide epidemic. Spider-Man was able to stop the disease, but Jameson was fired from his job due to his support of New U. Interview of the Century Jameson was later contacted by S.H.I.E.L.D, who asked him to help Spider-Man catch a fugitive named Teresa Durand. Jameson agreed as long as he could finally interview Spider-Man. Tensions rose as the interview progressed, but ended with Jonah finally breaking down and admitting the reason he hated Spider-Man more than anyone was because he was envious of what he had. In order to finally bury the hatchet, Spider-Man revealed his identity to Jonah. In other media Film *J. Jonah Jameson appears in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, portrayed by J. K Simmons *Simmons reprised the role of Jameson, who appear in Spider-Man: Far From Home, this time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. *J. Jonah Jameson appears in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by his creator, the late Stan Lee. Television *In the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, J.K Simmons reprises the role. In this however, Jameson is reduced to a minor character. 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